Gift of an Angel
by FireEdge
Summary: It's Christmas time, and Raine reminiscences upon the past... and her feelings for Kratos. Holiday fic. Kraine. Oneshot.


Hey, look who's alive!! Yup, its me! I know I haven't updated _Midnight Visit_ for a long time, but I want to finish up my other fic in Fire Emblem first. It's really hard to keep up with two stories at once. But just to not let any of you lose hope, here's a one-shot for all of you!

I also do not remember if there is such a thing as Christmas in this game, but let's just pretend that there is if there isn't. I apologize to those who do not celebrate Christmas, but I can't really write one about the other holidays, for I do not know too much of them. And I am fully aware of that fact that Altamira most likely does not get snow, but that is necessary for me to make this story go well…

I don't usually do dedications, but I'd like to dedicate this one to potter29vo! She got me inspired to write this in the holiday spirits! Enjoy, and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia.

Gift of an Angel

Raine looked outside the window of the Altamira hotel. She had her arms crossed, hands tucked underneath them, despite the warmth of the room. The half-elf let out a long breath, frosting the window in front of her with a light fog.

She had not really wanted to come here today, but Genis had been so excited. It was Christmas and an invitation from Lloyd and Zelos had come in the mail for them. The two had decided to plan a Holiday get-together for the group. Afterall, they hadn't seen each other for a few months now.

As the window cleared up again, leaving nothing but a slight wet residue, she continued to observe the scene outside. There, in the snow outside were some of the others, frolicking about. She could see Lloyd, Genis, Colette, and Presea. They were all helping each other to build a giant snowman. The four of them had already succeeded in making half of it. They were now working on its head and face.

Not too far away, Sheena was sitting on a bench, slouched over, an annoyed look on her face. Zelos was right beside her, apparently by the way his mouth moved, singing. She could tell that the ninja was very close to lashing out at the Chosen of Tethe'alla.

On another bench, Regal, now un-cuffed, sat smiling at the others before him. He simply enjoyed the freedom and tranquillity the world was in. And watching the younger people play seemed to sastify his own happiness at the moment.

But Raine had decided to stay inside. She didn't really want to be outside at the moment. It wasn't necessarily that cold. They were in Altamira, afterall. It was a surprise to see this much snow at all.

She had not stayed in because she didn't enjoy the holidays either. She loved Christmas, but this year… it just seemed different. The woman didn't sense the joy she usually did at this time of year. But she couldn't put a finger on why she felt this way.

Seeing a flake of snow land on the glass, her pale blue eyes blinked. The small snowflake stuck to the window, its intricate pattern laid out before her. As her scholarly instinct told her to, Raine began to study the snowflake. She knew that not a single one was the same. Each different in its own way. This one, she noticed, was especially complicated. The half-elf smiled. Just like her. She was a mix of emotions, definitely different from everyone else.

Touching the snowflake through the glass, the warmth of her finger melted it. But she could so easily be destroyed too… She could remember when she _had _almost been destroyed. But she was saved… by him, again.

* * *

_They were fighting the Sword Dancer for the first time now. And it was tough. Stronger than anything that they had ever faced before. Raine panted with exhaustion as she casted spell after spell. She had to keep everyone alive, that was her job, afterall, as the group's healer._

_She could hear Genis casting the strongest spells he knew, but they didn't seem to be working very well. But they couldn't give up. If they did, they would most likely be killed._

_"Lightning!" The little half-elf cried, a purple shaft of lightning coming down to strike the massive skeleton._

_"Sonic Thrust!!" Lloyd charged forward, his sword emitting a strong gust of air. Next to him, Colette was also attaking with her chakrams._

_"Pow Hammer!" A small hammer hit the skeleton, barely marking it. She knew that their strength was waning… Especially hers, she noticed._

_"First Aid!" She raised her staff high, feeling the healing energy transfer to Lloyd._

_"Thanks, Professor!" The brown-haired boy called, taking more slashes at their enemy. But Raine barely acknowledged it, she sagged slightly with a sigh. She was more tired than she thought. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to get a hold of herself._

_But her eyes were snapped open again when she heard Genis call out her name._

_"Raine!! Watch out!!!" Her brother yelled. Raine was then aware of a looming shadow over her. With a strangled gasp, she realized that the Sword Dancer's four swords were descending upon her. But before she had the time to even raise her staff or jump out of the way, they hit her._

_One by one she could feel the blades slicing into her flesh. It felt as if they were ripping away her soul at the same time they connected with her body. Her eyes wide, she fell to the ground. There was a giant gash on the left side of her body. It was bared to the bone._

_"Raine!!" The other called, some of them running towards her, the rest still fending off the huge skeleton. She winced in pain, Raine could feel her breath become shallow. It was getting harder to breathe as blood fell from the wound. She could barely see Genis' form nearly beside her, fumbling for an Apple Gel._

_Suddenly her vision began to blur with black spots. She was losing too much blood, she knew that. But what could she do, she couldn't even move. Gels wouldn't do too much good, and none of them save Kratos could heal. But even his spells wouldn't do much good, it was too late… She was going to die._

_Then in the background of her fading hearing, she could hear a roar, and the collapse of something large. The Sword Dancer had fallen. But what did it matter to her? She was going to be gone from this world in mere--_

_Her thoughts were cut short by a stinging pain on the wound on her body. Straining to see through her blurry, nearly gone, vision, she could make out a fuzzy purple. And she could feel something wet on her arm, and that she was being carried in strong arms. Somehow, she knew she was going to be safe… and her eyes closed. Not entirely certain if she would be opening them again._

_After drifting in a mindless, timeless void for what seemed forever, Raine opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was blurry, then it slowly began to focus again. Just as it did that, she was slammed with a searing pain in her arm, and the rest of the left side of her body._

_Blinking, she drew in a ragged breath, waiting for the pain to subside. It did lessen after a bit, but a throbbing still reminded her of the wound. But that hardly perturbed her, what was eating at her was how she could still be alive. Even a Life Bottle couldn't bring back someone already dead. Just one on the brink of it, and she knew that it wouldn't have worked for her. She was a healer, she should know that._

_Trying to sit up, she let out a restrained cry of agony. The wound hurt as if a knife had been slashed through it. Of course, someone did hear her yelp, despite her effort to keep it quiet._

_"You're awake… Good." Kratos said, already at her side. He seemed so tall, standing over her. Raine blinked again, did she see something in his eyes when he paused after noticing that she was awake? Dismissing her thought, she spoke, her voice cracked, dried._

_"H-How…?" She swallowed, it felt like she hadn't drunken for days. Immediately, a cup of water was held in front of her. She nodded graciously, trying to prop herself up on an elbow so that she could drink. But before she could try anymore, she realized that Kratos' arm was wrapped about her shoulders, holding her up, and he had the cup pressed into her hands._

_Gulping down the cool liquid, she was vaguely aware of how warm his arm felt against her back. She could just hear his quiet breathing. Lowering the cup from her mouth, she opened her mouth again, succeeding in talking this time._

_"How am I alive? And are the others okay?" She asked, trying to turn to face him, but stopped after feeling another stab of pain._

_"They're fine. They are sleeping." He replied. Raine could feel his breath on the top of her head. She flushed slightly, realizing how close he was. Before she could force her face to its usual pallor, the man already noticed._

_"Your face is flushed… do you feel alright?" He asked, a tinge of what seemed to be worry in his voice._

_"I-I'm fine!" She said quickly, the redness brightening. Even if she couldn't see his face, she knew that his brows were furrowed in confusion and that a frown was upon his mouth. "J-Just tell me how I'm still living."_

_"… You were barely clinging to life, actually. You probably would've died, if I didn't have a Life Bottle handy." Came his reply._

_"You're lying. A Life Bottle wouldn't have saved me." She accused, finally turning around to face him, ignoring the pain. His face was as expressionless as ever._

_"Perhaps." Said Kratos. "But a Life Bottle did save you. There may have been other…tools, involved." Raine hesitated, not entirely sure what to say. But decided on to ask what he meant by "other tools"._

_"Other tools?"_

_"I had to transfer some of my mana into you to keep you alive. Proper care was needed to keep you alive afterwards." He said blankly._

_"… How long has it been since then?" Raine asked._

_"A week." Kratos answered. The healer's eyes nearly bulged out of her head._

_"A w-week?! We've been here for a week?! Are you insane?! Why didn't we move?!" She nearly shrieked. At the moment she didn't really care that she was alive, or the fact that her wound was pounding, threatening to reopen again from her anger. All she cared about right now was that they had wasted a week of their journey. They had to find the other seals!_

_"Do you know how much time we've wasted?! I thought you were intelligent!" She yelled. No doubt, the rest of their group would be stirring. _

_"Calm down." Said Kratos coolly, not vexed in the slightest by her reaction. "Moving you about would most have most certainly killed you." Raine took in a deep breath. But before she could say anything else, whether she was going to yell again, Kratos butted in._

_"You should rest now. If you're so eager to move, you need to sleep. We'll move out tomorrow." With that, he stood up and walked away, leaving Raine to gape after the mercenary._

_Closing her mouth with a snap, she grunted, suddenly reminded of her wound. "Men…" She muttered, lying down, her eyes closing._

_

* * *

_

Raine took her finger away from the window, letting out a sigh. She had been curious to how Kratos had known about transferring mana, or had even heard of it. He may have been a learned mercenary, but he was only that.

She knew why now, of course. He was an angel. He had lived for 4000 years. But what she didn't understand was why he had did that in the first place. Back then, he was only on a mission for Cruxis. To deliver Colette to Yggdrasil. It didn't matter if she had survived or not, as long as he accomplished his mission. Sure, she would have made the journey easier with her knowledge of healing spells and light magic, but not absolutely neccasary.

Turning around at the sound of the door opening, she saw the others walk in.

"Hey Raine!" Lloyd greeted, a big grin on his face. His cheeks were red from the cold and his hair wind-blown.

"You should have been out there, Professor!" Colette chirped. "It was so pretty!"

"Can we open presents, now?!" Exclaimed Genis from beside them. He may have matured during their long journey, but he was still a child on the inside. Raine smiled.

"Go ahead. But I think I might go for a walk."

"But we can't open them without you! What about your presents?" Her little brother demanded.

"Of course you can, I'll be back soon. Don't worry." She answered, patting him on the head absentmindedly as she walked past, heading for the door.

"Raine!" Genis shouted crossly. But the others didn't mind a bit.

"Alright, Professor, have a nice walk!" Came Colette's cheery reply.

"Yeah, come back soon, its really cold out there." Added Sheena.

"I could come with you!" Zelos offered, a mischievous grin on his face, but he let out a grunt when Sheena elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Or maybe not. Have a nice time."

"I'll be back soon. You guys go ahead and open your presents." She reassured them again. With a final nod, she walked out the door and closed it behind her. Their voices instantly being muffled.

Raine wasn't really sure why she had decided to take a walk. But she felt like something was… calling her… Shrugging her shoulders to settle her coat more snugly about her, she walked out of the sliding glass doors of the hotel.

Breathing in the crisp cold air, she headed towards the beach. She knew that it was off-limits at night, but the half-elf woman went to it anyway. Placing her hands on the barricade, she neatly vaulted over the fence and landed sofly on the frozen sand.

Striding far away from the water, she started in the direction of the far side of the beach. Reaching it, she sad down on one of the chairs that had been left out by accident. Closing her eyes, she listened to the calming sound of the water, shifting beneath a thin sheet of ice. Despite her fear of water, she never denied the fact that the ocean wasn't calming in its own way.

* * *

Far off, in Derris-Kharlan, a certain Seraphim gazed down at the earth. A swirling globe of blue, green and white. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to see it, but the drifting, planet he supposed you could call it, was floating nearby the joined land of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. 

Kratos wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had left. But that didn't matter, he never aged much in appearance anyway. Unknowingly, he took a step forward. Stopping himself, he shook his head.

_Why do I want to go back? I am not needed there. But something is telling me to go back… Even just for awhile…_ He thought to himself. Turning his head, he gazed at the portal. Without a second thought, he strode towards it, putting a booted foot on it, he saw the symbol glow.

Taking in a deep breath, he closed his eyes. He could hear the humming sound of the portal activating and then a bright flash of light. The next moment, he stumbled on grassy ground. Opening his eyes, he looked around.

He stood on the small isle with the stones and the portal that once connected Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Why he had landed here, and not the Tower of Salvation was beyond him.

Standing up straight, he realized that the air was crisper and colder. _Winter…_ Spreading his wings, he flapped them once and kicked off the ground, soaring into the sky. It felt so wonderful. To be flying in a real atmosphere once more.

Gazing about, his sharp eyes caught sight of a tall building, lights shining in its windows. Altamira. Drawn as if a moth to a flame, Kratos flew slowly towards the island resort. What he would find there, he did not know. Approaching the beach, he noticed a figure sitting on a chair. Eyes closed, silver hair fluttering in the breeze. Raine. Seeing her brought back a particular memory.

Feeling as if someone was watching her, Raine opened her eyes. She let out a gasp, her hand flying to her heart. There standing mere feet in front of her stood Kratos.

"Kr-Kratos?!" She exclaimed breathlessly. The angel didn't so much as blink, his dark brown eyes surveying her. "What are you doing here?" She asked. For a moment she did not think that he was going to answer her. Perhaps she was hallucinating, perhaps he wasn't even there. Only a figment of her imagination.

But then he spoke. "Raine…" He took a step towards her. The wings on his back glowing behind him, causing him to look divine. Before she knew it, he was standing in front of her, she didn't realize that she was now on her feet.

"Do you remember that time on Ossa Trail?" He asked. The question came out of nowhere, but Raine didn't hesitate to answer.

"Yes… What of it?"

"Do you want to know why I halted the journey to wait for you to recover?" Kratos asked. She was aware that his face was mere inches away from her face. Raine could feel her heart beating faster. She didn't answer, but he continued.

"Because I wanted to see you well. To see you alive… For I… I love you." He said slowly. What in his right mind had made him say that?! Kratos thought to himself. What he said was true, but why did he tell her?! He probably looked like a dolt, standing there. Of all the things he imagined she would do, he never expected what came next.

Raine suddenly had her arms wrapped around his neck. Her ruby lips pressed against his. It startled Kratos at first, but then he relaxed, savouring the moment. He held her close to him, treasuring the warmth of her body against his.

After what seemed ages, she broke the kiss, her eyes staring deep into his. "Kratos… That was the best Christmas present I could have possibly received." The man didn't answer, just smiled. _Christmas… So that's what time of year it is._ Kratos then leaned down and embraced Raine in another kiss. He knew he would have to leave again, but he wouldn't go yet… Not until he let her enjoy the gift he had unknowingly given her.

* * *

GASP! I wrote 6 pages! That's amazing… Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this. I think this was pretty good, but I might have made some mistakes. Not to mention I haven't played ToS for awhile now, so my memory is rusty. If there is anything (about the game) that I messed up please inform me so that I may correct it. 

-Door barges open-

Genis: I can't believe you didn't wake us up when you _finally_ decided to write something from ToS!!!!

Zelos: Yeah! What the brat said! We couldn't missed harassing you!!!

FireEdge: … I wonder why I didn't wake you up…

Genis: HEY!

FireEdge: Well, ignoring those two… As I was saying… For all of those people who read _Midnight Visit_, remember, I WILL update it! Just after I finish with _Stray Arrow_ in Fire Emblem. And after I refresh my memory of ToS….

Zelos: Please review! And constructive criticism is welcomed, of course.

FireEdge: Well, Happy Holidays, everyone! And a Happy New Year!

--FireEdge--


End file.
